We originally posted this WFAN interview as having been conducted during Super Bowl week. It actually dates back to September. Regardless, it’s still interesting to note how commonplace former Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson feels the use of cameras is by NFL teams. He admits he used them to steal signs all the time.

Q: How about the spying thing Jimmy. You’re a coach does that bother you what Belichick did?

JJ: Oh please. I’ve said it on our show. Eighteen years ago a scout for the Chiefs told me what they did, and he said what you need to do is just take your camera and you go and zoom in on the signal caller and that way you can sync it up. The problem is that if they’re not on the press box side you can’t do it from the press box, you have to do it from the sideline. This was 18 years ago.

Q: You think the NFL came down too hard on them?

JJ: No, no, I said it on the show. He was wrong for doing it for the simple reason that the league knew this was going on not just in New England but around the league. And the league sent out the memorandum to all of the teams saying you cannot do this. And so that’s when Bill Belichick was wrong. After he got the memorandum saying don’t do it any more, he did it.

Q: Did you ever steal signals?

JJ: Oh in a heartbeat, yeah. Yes I did.

Q: Via video, Jimmy? Or no?

JJ: Oh yeah, I did it with video and so did a lot of other teams in the league. Just to make sure that you could study it and take your time, because you’re going to play the other team the second time around. But a lot of coaches did it, this was commonplace.

Q: But did you do it by taping the signal caller?

JJ: Yeah.

Q: Oh you did.

JJ: That’s what I’m saying. I was saying one of Marty Schottenheimer’s scouts, Mark Hatley, who has passed away now, Mark told me that’s how they did it, and Howard Mudd their offensive line coach with Kansas City, who now coaches for Tony Dungy, he was the best in the entire league at stealing signals.

Q: Where’d you put your guy who was videotaping? Where was he?

JJ: My guy was up with my camera crew in the press box. So you’d just put an extra camera up with your camera crew in the press box who zoomed in on the signal callers. That’s the best way to do it, but anyway you can’t always do that because the press box camera crew might be on the same side as the opposing team. If they’re on the same side as the opposing team that’s when you need to do it from the sideline.

If many or all teams are doing it (or as he says "I did it with video and so did a lot of other teams in the league") before it became illegal, it's not a competitive advantage. It only becomes the latter when it is made illegal and a team continues doing it. Thus, the definition of cheating.

If many or all teams are doing it (or as he says "I did it with video and so did a lot of other teams in the league") before it became illegal, it's not a competitive advantage. It only becomes the latter when it is made illegal and a team continues doing it. Thus, the definition of cheating.

I don't care what they do after this, all I wanted them to do was to beat the Texans. I live in the Houston area and it's getting down right annoying, if they would have won this game and hosted the Ravens in the Championship I would've never heard the end of it because I think they would have went to the Super bowl.

The Texans have a top running game, a top-tier wide receiver, a top-grade defense ..... and a good, not great quarterback. They're pretty much the team that people want us to build. How's it working out?

Pretty good, as far as I can tell. Unless you're in the camp that says 31 teams are utter failures every year (which I'm not). 2 straight years in the divisonal round is progress from where that team came from.

I see. So if Eli wins a Super Bowl, it's because his super defense carried him.

But if Brady can't win against the Giants super defense (even though he did lead what would have been a game-winning drive in the first Super Bowl agianst the Giants and led for the most part in the second one), he's a choker because he lost to the best defense this side of the 85 Bears? :laugh2:

The Brady haters/Romo slobberers can't get their logic straight. :laugh2: